Jardiance for Diabetes, Side effects, Jardiance coupon

An Honest review of Jardiance by Endocrinologist Dr. Ahmet Ergin

Most of you have heard about Jardiance. You may have diabetes and are looking to get the safest and most effective ways to control your diabetes. You may have concerns about the side effects of Jardiance. Maybe you were looking for Jardiance coupons to be able to afford the medication and ended up here.

Welcome to our blog. We are going to give you a comprehensive review of Jardiance. We will talk about Jardiance benefits, risks, Jardiance side effects, and Jardiance coupons. Is Jardiance an effective medication for diabetes? Is it too expensive? How to get coupons and more.  You will probably know more about Jardiance than your primary care physician at the end of this article.

Hear John's story...

John M. is 55 years of age. He is on Glipizide. He is also on metformin. His problem is that his blood sugars are not controlled however he continues to have low blood sugars less than 70 frequently. His A1c now is 7.4%. He definitely does not like the low blood sugars since it feels terrible to have low blood glucose. He talks to his primary care physician for treatment adjustment.

His doctor asks him about his medical history. John reports, he recently had a heart attack. He heard that low blood sugars actually can trigger heart attacks as well. He was also recently in the hospital due to heart failure. His blood pressure is running a little on the high side around 145/85.  He also heard on the news that the Jardiance may help with other problems such as heart attack prevention.

So, is Jardiance a perfect fit for this patient? Would he jump on the medication just because he heard something good on the TV? Or Jardiance is really a great drug? Should he stay on Glipizide when on Jardiance? He is also wondering if he can reduce his out of pocket cost by getting a coupon from his diabetes doctor. Let’s learn more about Jardiance first. We will see if Jardiance will be a good medication for John. We will see If he cannot afford the medication and get a coupon card.

How Jardiance works for diabetes?

Jardiance works by excreting blood sugars through the kidneys. Normally kidneys reabsorb all the blood sugars that go through them. Jardiance makes it easier to urinate excessive blood sugars through the kidneys. It is almost like mechanical unloading. You may realize that newly diagnosed or uncontrolled diabetic patients also urinate a lot.

They urinate a lot because their blood sugars exceed the kidney's capacity to re-absorb the sugar (>220). That is because their sugars run way too high. Jardiance, however, helps your kidneys to excrete blood sugars even when your blood sugars are only in the high 100 or low 200 range. So is peeing the blood sugar necessarily a good thing? Well, that depends.

How effective is Jardiance for diabetes compared to other drugs?

In terms of blood sugar lowering potential, Jardiance can be as effective as Glipizide or Januvia. It has similar strength as the other drugs in the same class such as Farxiga and Invokana. Although Jardiance has similar efficacy to Glipizide and Januvia, it has other features such as the reduction in heart failure and heart attacks that make Jardiance a superior option to Glipizide and Januvia.

If your A1c is around 8% your A1c will come down by around 0.8%. The higher the A1c the more Jardiance will reduce your A1c. So if your A1c is 10% Jardiance can reduce your A1c maybe by 1.5%. Since John is starting on Jardiance at 7.4% A1c, Jardiance is more than likely to reduce his A1c below 7%. Medications in the GLP-1 class are more effective than Jardiance. For example, Ozempic is more effective than Jardiance.

Is weight loss one of the good side effects of Jardiance?

Jardiance definitely can cause weight loss. It has been shown to provide up to 70 g of sugar loss in the urine. That can be equal to 280 calories a day. If you are on insulin or sulfonylurea, the effect of Jardiance for weight loss may be limited. If you combine Jardiance with Ozempic and/or metformin you will get the most weight loss reduction.

This option appears to be the best option, yet it is the most expensive option. For that reason, it may not be the best combination for some patients. Jardiance may increase appetite due to the sugar loss in the urine. If you increase the intake of carbohydrates you may not lose as much weight as you might expect.

Does Jardiance help with heart disease in diabetics and if so, how?

Heart Failure prevention

There is no clear-cut answer for that however, we know a few things we can share. First of all when you excrete excessive blood sugar your body also excretes water along with the sugar. When there is less excess water in the body your heart struggles less to pump that the volume of fluid.

As a result, Jardiance has been shown to reduce heart failure as well as dying from heart attacks in patients with diabetes. Let us go back to our patient, John. He has underlying cardiovascular disease and recently he was in the hospital. In that regard, John is a good candidate for this medication. But there are other factors we need to also consider.

Blood Pressure Reduction

Jardiance can also reduce your blood pressure again by reducing the total fluid volume. Reduction in blood pressure has also been shown to be beneficial to reduce heart attacks and heart failure. If you remember, John's blood pressure was slightly high. He is also on spironolactone for heart failure and high blood pressure.

His doctor knows that both the Jardiance and spironolactone may potentially increase potassium levels. It can also make him dehydrated. So his doctor will decide if Spironolactone dose needs to be adjusted if he goes on Jardiance for his diabetes.

Kidney disease prevention

Reduction in the volume also actually helps your kidneys unless you become dehydrated. And, this is the key. These agents have been shown to actually reduce chronic kidney disease progression for most patients. The only time some patients develop kidney failure is when patients become dehydrated. Dehydration can happen if you ignore your thirst and literally forget to drink water.

You can drink low-calorie electrolyte drinks as well to stay hydrated. Unfortunately, John is not a big water drinker. He works outside and sweats a lot. He is at risk for dehydration. Although he is a good candidate for Jardiance from a cardiovascular standpoint, the potential high risk for dehydration will make his doctor re-think Jardiance treatment for his diabetes.

Is Jardiance an expensive diabetes drug? Are there any Jardiance coupons?

We will talk about this at the end of the article. Yes, Jardiance is a brand name medication. The cash price is around $504 at goodrx.com. Coupons can bring it as low as $0. At sugarmds.com we will handle the process to get you the lowest price.

What are the side effects of Jardiance?

Jardiance can lead to yeast infections in the genitalia. This is because of the excessive sugar excretion. Blood sugar in the urine tends to attract yeast in the vaginal area in women. But, men tend to have much less of a problem with these infections.

Set featured image John has never had a fungal infection in the past. He also pays attention to his hygiene. In that regard, this is a plus for John's candidacy for Jardiance. On the other hand, If he already had a history of fungal infections, Jardiance definitely would increase recurrent infections. Bacterial urinary tract infections can also happen.

What are the symptoms of yeast infection and bacterial infections with Jardiance side effects?

Basically, when a yeast infection appears you may see a white vaginal or penile discharge. It will definitely be itchy. On the other hand, bacterial urinary tract infection may give you an urgency feeling with urination, painful urination or pain around the bladder area. If you notice anything unusual you should call your physician.

More side effects of Jardiance

If you are allergic to this drug or any part of this drug tell your doctor about the allergy and what signs you had. Very rarely some patients may develop diabetic ketoacidosis. As a result, this medication is not indicated for patients with type 1 diabetes. This is because type 1 diabetes patients are at high-risk for ketoacidosis. Although rare, if you feel that you have nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain or rapid breathing you should immediately call your physician or go to ER.

Patients who are on insulin are much less likely to go into diabetic ketoacidosis. This is because insulin prevents diabetic ketoacidosis. If you are on other blood pressure medications, Jardiance may reduce blood pressure further. As a result, it can cause dizziness.

If you are on another diuretic (water pill) and Jardiance, dehydration may happen a lot easier. As you can remember John will need to adjust his water pills and maybe other medications in order to accommodate for Jardiance.

In what conditions should you not take Jardiance for Diabetes?

• If the Jardiance coupon did not work. Just kidding. Just call your doctor to handle it, if they don't call us at SugarMDs. Our patients have no problems with coupons.

• Patients who get frequent urinary tract infections or yeast infections.

• If you have a history of diabetic ketoacidosis.

• Patients who are at high risk for dehydration.

• Those patients with a prior history of foot ulcers or current diabetic foot ulcer.

• Patients who have low bone density and high risk of fractures.

When to call your physician or go to the hospital when you are on Jardiance for Diabetes.

If you have any of these health problems.

• You feel dehydrated.

• If you are not able to eat or drink like normal.

• If you are pregnant or may be pregnant.

• Breast-feeding. Do not breast-feed while you are taking this drug.

Precautions to reduce the harm from side effects of Jardiance.

If you are on Jardiance for diabetes there are a few things you can do to reduce side effects.

• To lower the chance of feeling dizzy or passing out, rise slowly if you have been sitting or lying down.

• Be careful in hot weather or while being active. Stay hydrated when active.

• Pay attention to genital hygiene. Avoid residual urine on your underwear. Change underwear frequently.

• This medication can increase your cholesterol slightly. On the other hand, it helps reduce the risk of heart attacks.

• If you are on Jardiance your urine glucose will be high. If you are getting a urine glucose testing at work you need to let them know. Your diabetes doctor can give you a letter stating that fact.

What are some Jardiance side effects that I need to call my doctor about right away?

Fournier’s gangrene Even though it may be rare, some people may have very bad and sometimes deadly side effects when taking this drug. For instance, fournier’s gangrene has been reported although this is a very rare complication.

In my diabetes practice, I have never seen this complication. Out of hundreds of thousands of people who took this medication that are 50-60 case reports of this problem. If you have a nonhealing genital infection after being on antifungal or antibiotic you need to call your doctor immediately. Signs of an allergic reaction like rash; hives; itching; red, swollen, blistered, or peeling skin with or without fever; wheezing; tightness in the chest may occur.

Other serious Jardiance side effects:

• Mood changes, confusion, muscle pain or weakness.

• A rapid heartbeat that does not feel normal.

• Dizziness or passing out.

• Excessive thirst.

• Seizures.

• Feeling very tired or weak, not hungry.

• Unable to pass urine.

• Fast breathing; very bad stomach pain, or throwing up; feeling very sleepy; shortness of breath; feeling very tired or weak.

• Signs of a urinary tract infection or yeast infection as discussed above.

Can Jardiance cause low blood sugar?

Yes, if the Jardiance coupon did not work and you were running around to make it work and you forgot to eat, then you may. I am joking guys. Chances of low blood sugar from Jardiance itself is extremely low. So, if you are on a sulfonylurea such as glipizide, glimepiride, glyburide low blood sugars can happen. If you are on insulin of any sort and Jardiance, low blood sugars can happen as well.

Your endocrinologist/diabetes specialist may need to adjust other diabetic medications if you start Jardiance. If you will remember John was on glipizide. John's A1c was around 7.4%. If John starts Jardiance in addition to his glipizide and metformin he may develop low blood sugars. In this case, low blood sugars will be due to glipizide not necessarily Jardiance. Read more about hypoglycemia/low blood sugar.

How is Jardiance best taken?

• Take with or without food.

• Take in the morning.

• Drink 4 ounces of water with it.

What do I do if I miss a dose?

• Take a missed dose as soon as you think about it. Jardiance will continue to work for your diabetes control.

• If it is close to the time for your next dose, skip the missed dose and go back to your normal time.

• Do not take 2 doses at the same time or extra doses.

• If you are not sure what to do if you miss a dose, call your doctor.

How do I store and/or throw out this drug?

• Store at room temperature.

• Store in a dry place. Do not store in a bathroom.

• Keep all drugs in a safe place. Keep all drugs out of the reach of children and pets. Do not try to treat your pet's diabetes with Jardiance lol:)

What is the Jardiance price and are there Jardiance coupons available?

Jardiance can be an expensive medication without coupons or insurance coverage. If you have any questions about insurance coverage or coupons you need to consult with us so we can direct you in the right direction. Our patients tend to have little or no problem getting the best medications in the market.

We will guide you through Jardiance's side effects, price and copay cards. In conclusion, If you are struggling with high or low blood sugars or if you are looking for guidance in terms of which medication to choose to get the most health benefit, contact us @ www.sugarmds.com.

SugarMDs is a patient-centered, endocrinologist powered mobile diabetes care system. Endocrinologist takes the lead. Diabetes coaches follow patients very carefully. Final goal is to improve the health of patients in a cost-effective way. Moreover, we do that from your home without requiring you to see doctors physically. Sign up today.  Ahmet B. Ergin, MD, CDE, CCD, ECNU